PUMA Wins Transatlantic 2011

Sarah Eberspacher | July 11, 2011

Following a six day, 22 hour, eight minute and two second journey, Rambler 100 took line honors Sunday in the Transatlantic Race 2011. However, skipper George David and his crew have been denied an overall victory by PUMAs Mar Mostro, skippered by Ken Read, which crossed the finish line at The Lizard, Cornwall, U.K. earlier today. Race officials have already determined that none of the boats still at sea will be able to knock Mar Mostro off its perch, and that the boat will be the overall winner of the event.

After just a brief stop, Mar Mostro sailed directly on to its training base in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, to prepare for the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race.

The finish was excruciating, Read said shortly after crossing the line. We approached The Lizard knowing we had to get there quick because the current was about to change and go against us. As we entered the English Channel the breeze was dying steadily to the point where the current did change. Literally, when the race committee said we were finished, we were stopped and about to throw the anchor as we would have been going backwards with the current.

Ramblers elapsed time to complete the journey established a new record for the 2,975 nautical mile course, to be ratified by the World Sailing Speed Record Council. The net speed average was 15.7 knots, and despite a few lags at the end, the crew was satisfied with the sailing, David said.

This has been an exhilarating race, where we have been well out of sight of land, completely unsupported and in a high performance machine, which you are taking close to the edge, for a very long time, David said.

The race consisted of a rolling series of starts; two previous starts took place June 26 and June 29. Both Rambler 100 and Mar Mostro set off on July 3. Although the fleet enjoyed strong winds in the beginning, it has since become bogged down in light air.

Organized by the New York Yacht Club, the Royal Yacht Squadron, the Royal Ocean Racing Club and the Storm Trysail Club, the Race is one of seven making up the new Atlantic Ocean Racing Series. Other races include the Pineapple Cup-Montego Bay Race, RORC Caribbean 600, the Annapolis to Newport Race, the Rolex Fastnet Race, Biscay Race and the Rolex Middle Sea Race.